Who are the future BAEXPATS?

[rrptownley]

Thank you all for the great perspectives on the future here in Argentina for ex-pats.

Is it anyone's opinion that this is a phase as the great wheel of the world economy turns and that in 5-10 years we may find ourselves back in an accommodative city?

Or is Buenos Aires going to seal up and cauterize itself from the inflow of bohemian ex-pats? (of which I count myself one)

I ask this because I am starting to settle down here and having to start to think seriously about life here. This foreboding makes me sit uneasy; my nightmare would be to be trapped here financially. Also I am at the fresh end of the career ladder, and when applying back in Europe for work will find it difficult to explain why I was so unambitious in wanting to earn pesos in a professional and economic backwater? (How do you explain that to someone who has lived in London for their whole life without sounding like a work-shy hippy!?)

I do not know any other ex-pat of my age (26) who is here now (permanently) without family money or a job with an international company.

Bollocks, I forgot where I was going with this and I have to go to dinner...

 

[earlyretirement]

Thank you all for the great perspectives on the future here in Argentina for ex-pats.

Is it anyone's opinion that this is a phase as the great wheel of the world economy turns and that in 5-10 years we may find ourselves back in an accommodative city?

Or is Buenos Aires going to seal up and cauterize itself from the inflow of bohemian ex-pats? (of which I count myself one)

I ask this because I am starting to settle down here and having to start to think seriously about life here. This foreboding makes me sit uneasy; my nightmare would be to be trapped here financially. Also I am at the fresh end of the career ladder, and when applying back in Europe for work will find it difficult to explain why I was so unambitious in wanting to earn pesos in a professional and economic backwater? (How do you explain that to someone who has lived in London for their whole life without sounding like a work-shy hippy!?)

I do not know any other ex-pat of my age (26) who is here now (permanently) without family money or a job with an international company.

Bollocks, I forgot where I was going with this and I have to go to dinner...

RRP,

My best advice to you is really have a good "game plan" or "life plan". Make a 1, 2, 5 and 10 year goal of where you want to be and what you see with your life. Because time flies by.

You are relatively young now at 26. But say you are here 5 years and you are 31 and you really don't make any significant income here. You don't build up any savings or assets, plus you aren't paying into any retirement program.

So you have to ask yourself, what's the end game? I'm not saying money is the most important thing in life. It's clearly not. But from my experience...it sure does make life easier, funner and more enjoyable. Plus, you are only 26 now but what about when you are 36 and you want a family. It's not so easy raising a family being a "bohemian character".

Those are the types of things you need to ask yourself. And as you correctly mentioned, prospective employers when you move back to Europe will ask what you did, what experience did you have, what did you learn? Definitely I'd recommend taking this opportunity to get totally fluent but I know others from London that did and it didn't mean too much back home in London.

That's probably the best advice I can give you is to really make a life plan with various stage points.

I don't think Buenos Aires will be a "cheap" destination in the near future. I'm not saying it's expensive because compared to other large metropolitan cities around the world it's one of the cheapest still. However, in other large metropolitan cities around the world it's relatively easy to find a job and make a decent wage. I don't find that to be the case for Expats in Buenos Aires. Most that I've heard of really struggle to make money and the money they do make they are spending it all to live so they aren't building up any savings of any kind which would be scary to me. I've always been the type that always like to have an egg in my nest.

I still very much enjoy Buenos Aires but now with kids, I don't really find the quality of life that great raising kids compared to first world countries....

 

[mariposa]

having read all of the above, can some one please remind me what a "bohemian" expat is (or supposed to be) ?

 

[jaredwb]

I'm a hard core expat...Argentina wife and child, been here for 8 years and no plans on leaving...however, the luster is coming off quick.

Prices are out of control and getting worse. Security is a joke and getting worse. Thank God I have an amazing landlady who hasn't raised my crazy low rent for 5 years...still for everyone else, housing is getting worse.

I've actually started looking at other options outside though not sure if I would move without some crazy circumstance or Nestor's resurrection. 2 years ago, I wouldn't even have considered leaving.

I still say Buenos Aires is the best city in South America...just not so much as it was before.

 

[MizzMarr]

Mariposa, to ME when I use the word "bohemian" to describe a group of people here (expats in this case, though there's definitely a bohemian local collective) I am referring to people who may live non-traditional lifestyles and make money in non-traditional ways. Obviously this is a broad category and people of many stripes could fit the bill. To me typically the people who would fall into this category are creative artists, writers, journalists, musicians, artisans, gypsies, photographers, or creative intellectuals or entrepreneurs, etc., who use their skills, talents or unusual interests to create actual items or forge new opportunities to make money in a creative way (with varying degress of success, but wealth is generally not the principal goal). Of course there may be varied interpretations, so your mileage may vary.

 

[MizzMarr]

Oh big deaL...SO you fucked a local and there you go...now 8 year later your job isn't what you thought it would be.

Sad anit it. I probably spent tonight on dinner what your monthly rent is...wow...so sad.

Not really interested in you. You are common. Like rats...

Everywhere but NO ONE WANTS THEM AROUND.

Wow, Lee, you're so bitter! It's really unnecessary to be so mean. Why do you have to spout vitriol on this board--it's no secret that you are sick of Argentina and want to leave, but really, isn't there a better way to vent your frustrations?

P.s. People like Jared who fell in love with a local and who are living here with children are relevant to this discussion.

 

[Gringoboy]

'How to kill a thread stone dead'...by Lee.
I too had carnal relations with a local, so I must be a rat
Here for the long haul by the looks of it, in spite of the fact that it's not an easy country to live in at the moment, but one day I'm sure it will get better.
I can think of worse places to live.

 

[Liam3494]

Just for teh record, not all he world's ex-pats are North American, as can be seen, and comparing prices and life benefits with teh US is alaways a dangerous game. Having been here a year, and falling into the "Other Half" is an Argentine bracket, I appreciate how tough it is to make a living here in peso's, but then again, I knew that when i decided to move half way across the world.

Who knows what the future will bring, but I do know, that life is far from being rosy back home in Ireland, with a tougher than ever budget coming next month which will cause even more austerity there. Given all things, and comparing the Irish economy with the local one here, I'm still of the opinion that Argentina is a better place to be, and that "new ex-pats" will still come in the future - whether they stay or not is another matter, but that's always been the case.

Given the term ex-pats usually refers to those who have come to stay for a while, maybe we should really be asking "Who are the next wave of Immigrants to Argentina going to be"? i'.e. Those who have/will permanently set up their stall here.